


Sweet Dreams

by wisepuma23



Category: Sanders Sides, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders - Freeform, Deceit, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Morality | Patton Sanders - Freeform, Past Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 16:11:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13574145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wisepuma23/pseuds/wisepuma23
Summary: After the latest video, Virgil gets hit with old memories that he'd rather forget. His dark past was something he didn't want to dwell on. Ever.Luckily, Patton is there to cheer him up.





	Sweet Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: implied physical abuse in the past

Virgil sat down on his bed and rummaged through his drawer to take out a frame. In the shadows of his room, the three faces that stared back at him were hard to see. But he didn’t want to turn on a light. It felt wrong. Disrespectful. Even if all respect he had for them were gone a long time ago. The picture was old and curled at the edges.

It was the three of them; Anxiety smiling at Deceit blowing the camera a kiss, and the third turning away in disgust. It was their eleventh Fourth of July and Hubris had those silly sparklers. The three of them were the true trio of the ‘dark sides’. Counterparts, yin and yang, mirror opposites. But in this photo, forbidden from Patton’s archives, was a rare moment of clarity.

Virgil rubbed a thumb over the glass.

Patton never kept any subconscious memories. Hubris kept his own library since Deceit would prefer to smudge them beyond all recognition. Virgil held the frame close to his chest.

He was glad he was able to steal at least one memory for himself. He shut his eyes as he remembered shouting. Fire. Punching until he felt his face break. Then a very long staircase upwards. Up and up and up.

Then it all stopped.

Anxiety was caught in limbo between the subconscious and the conscious like a life preserver floating on the top of the ocean. Meant to be pulled up or down. He didn’t like thinking about that long period of stasis. Watching the days go by. Stuck until he appeared at the dining table.

Creativity froze, and his screams died in his throat. Then it clicked for Anxiety. Creativity had finally pulled him up during his usual tantrum. The others stared at him, a new person, with a chair specifically for him.

“My name is Anxiety,” he hunched into his shoulders, “I-I’m new.”

New to this plane of consciousness. Anxiety fidgeted. His lie of omission grated against him, Deceit’s smile was still fresh in his mind, but he couldn’t scare them. Maybe he’d be happy here. A new family. And there were less shadows here.

“Well that’s just perfect!” Creativity said with a slam, Anxiety flinched, “How can Thomas get through sixth grade if he has _anxiety_?”

Anxiety slumped. He tuned out Logic and Morality calming the Prince down, but they didn’t refute him. He hunched into his dark hoodie even more. Morality didn’t set out a new plate for him on the table. Tears started to burn at the edges of his eyes.

Anxiety finally understood that Dark Sides don’t ever get happy endings. They didn’t know who he was, but Anxiety knew. He was bad, and he’d bring nothing but pain. The singed frame pressed against his ribs beneath his hoodie. And he left the only people who ever loved a sorry sack like him.

Virgil put the frame back into his drawer. His breath shuddered as he remembered the picture again. His first thought now was _‘This ain’t love, it’s plain to see’_ instead of the aching homesickness that plagued him once. It was no longer what he left behind but rather everything he didn’t want to be.

Trembling hands clutched each other in his lap. He pulled down his sleeves to cover his shaking hands. Somewhere from a floor below, a door creaked.

“Fuck off,” Virgil said, “Go away, I’m not your friend anymore.”

Faint laughter.

Virgil stood up and slammed the door behind him as he left the room.

Thomas didn’t know his past as an ex-Dark Side. Virgil would tell him if Thomas just _asked_. Permissions were fickle in the mindscape. Virgil has certainly dropped enough hints but what Thomas didn’t know, he didn’t. Deceit was still a powerful side and craved control. Especially over others.

He drifted back to the commons and saw Patton knitting on the couch. Virgil blinked and smiled. Without a word, he sat next to him and slumped against his shoulder. Patton beamed and hugged him tight. “Nice of you to drop in, kiddo!” Patton said.

“Nice to be here,” Virgil replied as he let his whole weight sink against Patton, “Really glad that you’re here, Patton.”

“…What’s wrong?” Patton asked as he gently pushed his bangs away from his face, “Are you alright? Did Deceit give you a big scare?”

Virgil flinched and turned his face to dig into Patton’s shoulder and nodded.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Patton said as he set the needles aside and started to rub his head, “Do you want to hear a dad joke?”

Virgil nodded.

“What kind of bagel can fly?” Patton said, a beat of silence, “A _plain_ bagel!”

Virgil’s shoulders shook as he contained his laughter. Patton giggled as his glasses started to drop from his nose. He was laughing that hard. A snort. Virgil froze, he didn’t mean to snort. Patton’s face shone with awe and glee.

“What did the pirate say on his eightieth birthday?” Patton said, “Aye matey!!”

More snorts and giggles spilled out. Patton snorted along with him. Virgil hid his grin as he held Patton. Both were shaking so much but it didn’t matter. _Patton is such a good dude._ Patton had no shortage of dad jokes and that’s how they spent the rest of the afternoon. Virgil drifted off to sleep in Patton’s arms. Patton smiled down at his kiddo as he conjured a warm quilt for the two of them and went back to knitting.

Someday, Virgil would tell him about the others. Patton’s smile dropped. They all knew about the ‘Dark Sides’ but only when they invaded the consciousness. They didn’t know about their true home downstairs. What it was like, how it worked, and why Virgil had appeared here. It was only recently Roman had finally accepted Anxiety, his Dark Side, that Thomas finally allowed Virgil to become part of the family.

Patton set his needles down, “Do I need to tell you twice, Deceit? Please leave.”

The shadows around the commons’ door retreated with a sulk. Patton shook his head. Thomas shouldn’t lie to himself as often as he does. But that’s what Morality was here for! Someday, Deceit _will_ be weak again. Patton held out hope for the past twenty-two years for that day to arrive. Thomas told nothing but the truth until he was six. And that was it.

Until then, Patton could only knit and wait.

 

**Author's Note:**

> wow that newest video just gives me ALL the ideas!!!! i have so many new headcanons omg
> 
> but now I have to make some changes to the back-story of my [ We Were Never Welcome Here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/13447569/chapters/30822678) fic! Because gosh darn it I want it to stay canon-compliment! :P
> 
> I really think that Deceit and Virgil might have been friends once but Deceit is by nature a manipulative snake and their friendship got destroyed pretty quickly. And Hubris is my guess of Logan's Dark Side. I bet there are a lot of 'dark sides' out there but there is a 'main three' for the original sides. :PPP
> 
> what do you guys think? :D?


End file.
